


coming out (of my cage)

by slugpostage



Series: two-shots for my faves only [2]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Gay Disaster T. J. Kippen, Insecure T. J. Kippen, Lesbian Amber (Andi Mack), Let T. J. Kippen Swear, M/M, Smitten Cyrus Goodman, Smitten T. J. Kippen, T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Twins, Two Shot, alludes to ambi, the twins come out together!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-17 08:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20618366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slugpostage/pseuds/slugpostage
Summary: ...and the Kippen twins are doing just fine.(or, the one where TJ and Amber come out to each other, and then to the whole world.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this started out as a drabble, but as i continued to write it, it developed into a full-fledged two-shot. the next part will be posted asap (most likely before the end of the week). think of this as a gift to you from me for my birthday :o)
> 
> follow me on tumblr @slugpostage

TJ bursts into his sister's room. “Amber, I like a boy.”

Amber was lounging on her bed, a fluffy pink pillow under her chest and a J-14 magazine in front of her. “Congrats,” she replies lamely, turning the page of her magazine. 

He falters, expecting more of a reaction. “Wait, you're not—you're not mad?”

She shakes her head, “TJ, I'm pretty sure I'm a lesbian, so I don't think I could be mad if I tried.” She closes the magazine and sets it on the white shelf above her bed, sitting up. “So,  _ Thelonious _ ,” Amber says with a chuckle, “who is this boy you speak of?”

“Uh...Cyrus Goodman?” He replies slowly. “Um, I know you two are friends, so I don't know if he's, like, off-limits, or—”

Amber interrupts his rambling, “Teej, relax. It's cool.”

“Okay.” TJ lets out a sigh of relief and fiddles with the hem of his pants, a habit he picked up from Cyrus. “That was...easier than I thought.”

After a pregnant pause, Amber speaks up. “Do you wanna...do you wanna talk about it or something?” She asks slowly. 

“Please.”

Amber scoots back on her bed, grabbing the pink pillow she just laid on and pulling it to her chest. She pats the spot next to her, and TJ moves to sit down. She lifts her peach comforter and he wordlessly slides under it. 

“I dunno, Ambs, I just thought this would be more...monumental or something,” he says. “Like, I’m g—” The word seems to be stuck in his throat. “I like boys,” he tries. “And that’s not really something that’s widely accepted.” 

“Being gay isn’t the same as being allergic to peanuts, Teddy,” Amber deadpans. “It’s not something that’s going to be a dinner-table topic.”

“Yeah, I know...I mean I just kind of thought it’d be  _ easier _ , y’know? Like…” TJ turns to look at his sister. “I’ll be in the locker room with the guys on the team, and some of them just start...they start  _ making jokes _ , and I can’t really—sometimes I just feel  _ wrong _ for just being there because I’m the punchline of their joke and they don’t even know it. I just want it to be easier like it is in the movies.” 

His sister shakes her head, “I hate to tell you, but I don’t think it ever gets easier. And it doesn’t always happen like it does in the movies.” Amber pauses, “Honestly, I think that’d be pretty shitty.”

“What do you mean?” TJ asks. 

“I mean, like—” Amber sighs and starts again, “Okay, imagine this is a movie.” TJ nods, and she continues, “So, you’re gay, right, and you aren’t out yet. You have a crush, but you can’t tell anyone  _ because _ you’re not out. Who knows why you’re not—maybe it’s not safe, or you’re just not comfortable with anyone knowing. One day, someone finds out, because people  _ always _ find out in movies. Now you’re out before you’re ready, and you feel obligated to make a big speech and ‘own your truth’ or whatever.” She rolls her eyes at that.

“The point is, I’d rather you come out in the way that you want  _ when _ you want it to happen. So this—” She slings an arm over his shoulder, “is more than okay with me.”

TJ smiles and hugs her. “Thanks, Ambs.” As he pulls away, it dawns on him. “Wait, you’re a lesbian?” 

Amber flushes and looks away. 

“ _ Dude _ !” he exclaims. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“It wasn’t really your business,” she replies, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did you just miss the whole speech I just made?” 

“Well, no, but I don’t—is that what you meant by ‘it never gets easier’?” 

She nods, “Yeah…” Her gaze moves to meet TJ’s, “I tried. To suppress my feelings, I mean.”

“When you dated Jonah?” 

“Yeah, that was…” Amber trails off. 

“Yikes.” He fills in. TJ reminisces, his face twists into a sour expression, “You were so unhappy…” 

She nods, “I know. It was one of the worst years of my life, combined with all the shit going on with Mom and Dad.” 

“Fuck Dad!” TJ exclaims. 

“Now is not the time, Teej,” Amber scolds. He mumbled an apology, and Amber continues. “I just felt like I needed someone to lean on, y’know? Jonah and I were friends before we dated, but I just kind of thought I needed to love someone to fill a hole. I loved him, but not...Jonah was like the brother I never had—”

“Amber,” TJ warns. 

“You know it’s true! You used to be all mean and stuff!” 

“Wow, you’re one to talk,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“ _ Stoooooop _ ,” Amber says, shoving him playfully. “Okay, anyway. I tried to make it easier for me, but I only made my life harder. I threw away a lot of friendships because I didn’t know how to handle what I was going through.” She looked down in her lap and shook her head solemnly. “It wasn’t...it wasn’t worth it.” 

“I hated seeing you like that,” he admits quietly. “I always thought it was just because of Dad or something because you started going to therapy after he left.”

“That was part of it. I shouldn’t have put it off as long as I did. It didn’t really click in my head that I needed to be able to control my anger until I realized it might jeopardize my future with someone.”

TJ wrinkles his nose, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I, um…” She blushed, “I kind of met someone?” 

“No fucking way!” He yells. 

Amber rolls her eyes, “Shut up, dork. It’s not that serious. She’s just a friend. I’m not ready for a relationship right now.” 

He leaned forward, “But when you  _ are… _ ?” He pressed. 

She rolls her eyes, “Oh my  _ God _ !” She huffs, flopping down on the bed. “If I say yes, will you stop?” 

TJ pauses, pretending to think for a moment. “Possibly.” He throws the peach comforter off of his body and stands. He walks toward his sister’s full-length mirror and stares at his reflection.

“You know what,” he says. “Fuck this.”

Amber furrows her brows, “What?” 

“Fuck this!” He spins around to look at her. “I don’t want this shit to rule my life. I don’t want it to make my life difficult, it’s who I am. I’m tired of being scared to be myself.”

“So...what, you’re gonna come out to the team?” Amber asks. 

“Yes, but no. I’m gonna do something better than that.” 

“Like what?” 

“I'm gonna come out to the whole school.”

Amber gapes, “You're nuts.”

“Wow, thanks for being supportive!” TJ says, feigning enthusiasm. 

“Teej, you know I'll always support you, but...are you sure you're ready?”

“I've never been more ready for anything in my life.”

“Well…” Amber takes a deep breath. “If you're gonna do it, then so am I.”

“Amber—”

“We're in this together, Teddy. You can't go back on the pact.”

TJ balls his fists, “Dammit, I forgot about the pact,” he mutters. It wasn't really a pact, per se, it was more an unspoken law. Any plans that are dumb, life-changing, or that could possibly get you arrested, you  _ must _ do with the other twin. When Amber had to get her first retainer when she was nine, TJ  _ begged _ his parents to get him one too. He didn't, but he went to every orthodontist appointment with her and had a technician pretend to fix his teeth to make her feel better.

“Okay, fine. You can...we can come out together, but  _ only _ when  _ you're _ ready. I can wait as long as you need me to.”

“No, we're doing this,” Amber says, standing. She walks over to stand next to him. 

TJ turns back to the mirror and gazed at their reflection. “Right,” he says. “Right, we can do this!”

———

“Why did I agree to do this," TJ moans, staring up at the large building. Grant High School towers over everything close to it, casting a looming shadow over Amber's white Beetle.

“TJ, it was your idea,” Amber said, clicking her keys to lock her car. “How am I more calm than you?”

“I don't know...maybe it's like pre-game jitters or something.” TJ began to walk towards the doors of Grant, feeling the knot in his stomach grow larger as the seconds passed. He gulps and stops abruptly, turning to his sister. “I don't think I can do this,” he admits.

“Teej,” she says, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Listen to me. You  _ need _ to do this. You are ready. Okay?”

He licks his lips nervously and nods, “Okay. Yeah, I got this.”

“Of course you do! Now go...go do it!”

TJ nods and resumes, walking to the door, before stopping again. “Wait—”

“No waiting!” Amber says sternly. “Just—” She takes a deep breath and starts again. “You see him at lunch, right?” 

“Yeah,” TJ answers. 

“Then just...you can do it then. Maybe you can talk to him about it beforehand so that y’all are on the same page about it.” 

TJ points to the door, “Right. Lunch is good. Did you just say ‘y’all’?” 

“Not the time! Now, hurry up, I’m gonna be late for my psychology class.” Amber gives his shoulder one last squeeze. “You got this,” She says sincerely. 

TJ smiles warmly, “Thanks.” Yeah, he’s definitely got this.


	2. Chapter 2

The cafeteria was  _ loud _ . Not that it isn't always loud, but TJ's heart beating in his throat combined with everyone yelling across the cafeteria doesn't seem to want to mesh well together.

He lays his head on the table, feeling the cold bleed into his scalp. He feels uncomfortably vulnerable today, even more than he did when he first confessed at Andi's party. He lets out a long sigh, feeling a strand of his hair fall into his eye. Maybe that's why he feels so exposed—he doesn't have any gel in his hair.

His eyes flick over to the entrance every couple of seconds, looking for signs of Amber or Cyrus. The anticipation is practically eating him alive. He probably should’ve gotten something from the lunch line, but he can’t eat when his stomach is in knots like this. Hell, he wasn’t even this anxious when he told Coleman about his dyscalculia, and that might’ve been one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. 

After a few minutes, he spots Cyrus walking into the cafeteria with his friends. Their eyes meet, and TJ pales. He lifts his head and watches as Cyrus leans over to talk to Buffy before starting to walk over. The growing knots in his stomach seemed to burst at the same time. They weren’t knots at all, they were chrysalides, harboring hundreds of butterflies. 

"Hey!" Cyrus says as he plops down next to TJ. "You never answered my texts about which muffin you wanted, so I brought both."

Cyrus pulls a large Ziploc from his backpack, and inside were two squished muffins. He holds the bag out in front of him. "Sorry they're kinda squished, but the blueberry macadamia muffin's top was too big, so to get them  _ both _ in there, I had to—"

"I love you," TJ blurts. 

Cyrus' eyes widen. "What?"

"I love you," he repeats. He feels as if a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. "No, oh my God, it's so much more than that.” He places his hand on top of Cyrus’. “Cyrus, I'm  _ in _ love with you." 

“TJ…I don’t know what to say…”

“Say it back” he replies earnestly. His eyes widen as he realizes what he says, and he doubles back. “Or—or don’t. I’m not gonna, like, pressure you into loving me—”

Cyrus cut him off with a laugh. “Theo, calm down. I love you, too.” 

“You—you  _ do _ ?” TJ asks, eyes wide in shock.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Cyrus chuckles. He puts a hand on TJ's shoulder, “TJ, I think I've been in love with you since you came to my Bubbe Rose's shiva.”

“That was, like, years ago!" TJ exclaims. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?”

Cyrus shrugs, “I didn't know you were gay. You never really gave me any indication that you were until Andi's party. Or, um, now, actually.” He glances up at TJ and blushes, “is it embarrassing to say that I was waiting for you to say it first?”

TJ shakes his head, “No, it’s not embarrassing. But, uh…” TJ rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I feel bad that I never told you about, uh...me…” he trailed off.

“TJ, you weren’t ready. And just because  _ I’m _ out doesn’t mean  _ you _ have to be, y’know?” TJ nods, and Cyrus continues, “You can just...be you, for as long as you need.”

He chews on his lower lip, analyzing Cyrus’ words. “Yeah, but—” he huffed out a breath, “doesn’t that make you feel, like, I don’t know, weird? That your boyfriend isn’t your boyfriend in front of people? Isn’t that where it counts?” 

Cyrus’ face turns beet red. “Well—” he stutters. “I mean...for a while, I thought you were ashamed of me…” he says quietly. He watches as TJ’s face falls, “But now I know it’s just because you weren’t ready!” He says quickly. “And I’m not gonna rush you before you’re ready.”

TJ feels his heart break. Ashamed of him? No, TJ couldn’t be more enamored by him. In the stories his mother used to read Amber, there’d be talks of soulmates and miracles and dreams coming true. TJ never believed in them, why should he? Life is complicated, he knew that, but he never thought miracles would be something as big as someone’s soulmate. Smaller things, like passing a test you didn’t study for, or finding a dollar on the ground, sure, but never an entire person. He always thought his miracle would be an aced math test. He never knew it’d come in the form of a Jewish boy. 

“Cyrus, I’m not ashamed of you. I—” He stops. The pact. He had to fulfill the pact. “Cyrus, I want the whole world to know about us. Is that okay?” 

Cyrus tilts his head in confusion, “Uh...what?” He says.

TJ gets up from his lunch table and walks over to the lunch line, grabbing a tray off of the large rack. He walks back to his table and climbs over the bench to stand on the table. He lifts the tray over his head and drops it on the floor. A loud  _ smack _ echoed throughout the cafeteria, and the students turn to look at the source. 

“Now that I have your attention!” TJ yells. “I have something I have to tell the whole world—uh, cafeteria. I like a boy.”

Whispers erupt among the students, and TJ hears a ‘woo’ come from Marty a few tables over, and he chuckles. “Yeah...well, uh, no. Actually, I  _ love _ a boy. I’m  _ in love _ with a boy. My boyfriend, actually. Wait, let me start over.” There were a few scattered laughs. “I am in love with my boyfriend. And I wanted to tell you guys that because it’s really important to me—” He looks over to Cyrus, who looks like he could cry.  _ “He _ ’s really important to me.”

TJ looks over to the table where the basketball team sits. “So stop making gay jokes and shit, because it’s really fucking hurtful. Yeah.” He turns back to address the rest of the cafeteria. “And, uh, I’m gay, if you didn’t figure that out.” 

TJ nods to himself and steps down from the table, and the conversations resume. Amber was right, that wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the movies. But she was wrong in some ways, too. For one, TJ has never felt so comfortable in his skin before, he feels an uplifting sense of freedom he’s never felt before—he never even knew he was being pushed down until now. 

Cyrus threw his arms around his neck with a squeal. “I’m so proud of you,” he says in his ear, and TJ can’t help the grin spreading across his face. He pulls away to look at his face, and then it dawns on him. 

“I’ll be right back,” he says. Cyrus nods, mumbling an ‘okay’, and TJ slips out of the cafeteria.

He finds Amber sitting on the floor outside of the Ceramics room, typing away on her phone. He stomps up to her and stands in front of her, arms crossed in front of his chest. “You’re so fake!” He yells. “You didn’t even stick to the pact, and you were the one who brought it up! You’re literally so fake!” 

“Technically,” she starts, rising to her feet. “I didn’t go back on the pact, I just didn’t announce my sexuality in front of the school standing on a table.” She wrinkles her nose, “That’s gross, by the way, people eat there.”

Amber holds out her phone in front of TJ’s face. In front of him was a Twitter post from Amber. “You posted it on  _ Twitter _ ?” 

“You never said  _ how _ I had to do it!” She defends. 

“‘I’m lesbian’? Really, Amber? That’s the best you could do?” 

Amber lets out an exasperated sigh, “There weren’t any other lesbian vines that I could think of!” She whines. “It’s really hard to be creative sometimes.”

“Oh, poor you,” TJ sneers. “I just gave a whole speech on a  _ table _ ! And  _ nobody _ clapped!” 

She rolls her eyes, “TJ, I  _ told _ you, this isn’t a movie, stuff like that doesn’t  _ actually  _ happen! I thought you said you listened to my speech. Anyway,” Amber picks her backpack up off of the ground. “I have  _ Early Out _ for work for the rest of the semester, so I get to leave, like, right now. Want me to sign you out?”

“Can I bring Cyrus?” 

“Cyrus?” She laughs, “Please, he would never skip.” The twins begin to mosey to the front office.

“I don’t know...he went to jail once. For  _ Robinhood _ stuff, yeah, but he’s been known to live on the edge once or twice.”

“You can ask him, then, but I don’t think he’ll say yes.”

“He will, TJ says, looking down at his phone. “...but not today, apparently he has a test for his Seminar class.” 

“Gross,” Amber comments. “I mean, that’s fine, I guess.”

“Yeah,” TJ says, “we haven’t had a sibling day in a long time”

“Actually…” Amber trails off. “I’m kind of meeting somebody there,” she admits. 

TJ quirks a brow, “Oh, like the same  _ somebody  _ that you met that other time?” 

Amber bumps his shoulder with hers as they walk, “Shut  _ up _ ! Dude, please don’t embarrass me in front of her, I’m trying to make a good impression. It’s already kind of shaky between us with what happened with Jonah—” Amber gasps and slaps a hand over her mouth. 

“ _ Andi Mack _ ?” TJ exclaims. “Dude! How did  _ that _ happen?”

“I don’t know!” Amber replies. “I was at her party, and we were dancing, and she looked  _ really _ pretty in her dress, and then she offered to make me a bracelet before she went off to SAVA, and we’ve basically been flirting the whole summer?”

“Amber, it’s November. When were you planning on telling me?” 

“Um...soon?” She tries. 

“You know what?” TJ says. “I’m not even mad. Go get her, Ambs, you deserve it.”

“Thank you, baby brother,” she replies. “Wait here, I’m gonna go tell them I’m signing you out.” 

“Okay.” TJ watches as she enters the doors of the office and he glanced back down at his phone. He opens up his Twitter and goes to Amber’s page, retweeting her coming out post. He also makes a point to go through her followers and follow Andi Mack—he’d be keeping close tabs on her. He has a few messages on his phone, three from Marty and two from Cyrus. 

_ dude its so sick that u could just come out like that gjgfjhfgj _

_ like even buffy was like “o shit that was sick” lmfao _

_ also do u have the answers for the math hw _

He breathes a chuckle through his nose. Classic Marty. He opens the message from Cyrus. 

_ i hope you have fun with amber!!! you should take her up on that offer of free baby taters this time so i can reward myself later for the torture that is ap seminar lmao _

_ im really proud of you for coming out, btw. i know i said it earlier, but i just want you to know. i couldnt even dream up anybody better than you, youre just the most amazing person ive ever known. and you know what amazing people do? get their amazing boyfriend free baby taters bc their sister works at the spoon lol. i love you theo <3 _

TJ feels his face heat up as he rereads the last line of his text three times over. He copies it and transfers it into his notes so he can read it again later. How did he get so lucky? 

“You ready to go?” Amber asks. 

“Yeah,” he replies, pocketing his phone. As they walk out of the school and get into Amber’s car, one thought doesn’t ever seem to leave his mind. 

“ _ The Killers _ were right,” he comments.

Amber furrows her brows, “What?” 

“We came out of our cage,” he says, “and we’re doing just fine.” 

Amber bites her lip to try to hide the smile forming on her face. “You’re such a dork,” she says, but she knows he’s right. Even though it may never get easier, for now, they were doing just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this wasn't supposed to be this long, so, oops. but it's done :o)
> 
> tell me what u think! comments + kudos are appreciated, and once again, find me on tumblr @slugpostage


End file.
